Government delays limit contraceptive's availability

Plan B emergency pill available only with prescription

A woman arrives at his counter concerned she might become pregnant
after recently having unprotected sex. She can't go to her gynecologist
for emergency contraception either because she can't get an appointment
fast enough or because she fears humiliation. If she doesn't take the
drug within 72 hours, she could become pregnant and face a lifetime
commitment.

"They're often in a panic situation," Garza said. "They come here in
a panic situation wanting us to help them find a doctor."

The urgency of those situations, Garza said, highlights the need to
make emergency contraception available as an over-the-counter drug. But
that change, from a prescription medication to one available without a
doctor's approval, has been delayed by the federal government because
of concerns it could pose a danger to women's health.

The drug, sold under the brand name Plan B, is widely available in
Corpus Christi with a prescription. Calls to several retail pharmacies
indicated availability at many Walgreen's pharmacies and at all H-E-B
locations. It is not available at Wal-Mart pharmacies because the
Arkansas-based retailer does not sell it.

Amanda Stukenberg, executive director of Planned Parenthood of South
Texas, said Plan B is the biggest single factor in preventing unwanted
pregnancies and abortions. During 2005, the organization's two clinics
provided 3,492 prescriptions.

"I think it's the greatest development in family planning in 30
years," she said.

Dr. Pam Hall, of Doctor's Regional Hospital, said she sees no health
risks involved with taking the drug without a prescription. In some
states, such as California, the drug already is available as a
non-prescription drug.

"As a woman and a doctor, I don't think there's any reason it
shouldn't be sold over the counter," she said.

But conservative groups have objected to the sale of Plan B because
they believe it is tantamount to an abortion, and they have lobbied the
Food and Drug Administration to reject over-the-counter sales. The
prescription includes two pills that contain heightened doses of a
synthetic hormone similar to regular birth control.

The drug's maker, Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc., says the drug does not
cause an abortion and simply prevents the implantation of a fertilized
egg if taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex. The drug is
ineffective for a pregnancy that already has taken hold, the maker
says.

Though the drug is available with a prescription, getting that note
can sometimes prove daunting, Garza and other health-care providers
said. That's because it's not always possible for a woman to get a
doctor's appointment within 72 hours and because some pharmacists
object to selling the drug.

Garza, who is president of the Coastal Bend Pharmacy Association,
said any pharmacist who objects to selling Plan B must refer the
patient to another pharmacist who will fill the order.

"It is a legal prescription," he said. "They are entitled to that
medication. You have to help a patient find it."

Garza said he has not heard of any widespread objections to selling
the emergency contraception, but some small pharmacies might not carry
it.

Karl Arnold, pharmacist and owner of Hamlin Pharmacy, said he had
mixed emotions about the Plan B pill but would sell it if someone had a
prescription. He said the pharmacy doesn't keep it in stock because it
hasn't had much of a demand.

John McNeill, at Nichols Southside Pharmacy, also said it doesn't
have Plan B in stock because there isn't a demand.

"We really don't have any objections to it," he said. "We just
haven't had any calls for it."

Local clinics operated by Planned Parenthood of South Texas offer
walk-in appointments for the prescription and provide STD screenings to
anyone who requests it. Patients can walk out of the clinic with the
pills after a 15-minute appointment and without a separate visit to a
pharmacist. The visit involves a nurse documenting the patient's blood
pressure and weight and explaining how to take the drug properly.

The clinic also explains other options for birth control and STD
prevention and does not recommend Plan B be used as a regular form of
contraception.